Walter: You are right, there are amazing national differences. I like to travel the backroads of western North America by bike taking in the sights becoming 'part of the land' and visiting National Parks. I'll get to a place like Arches in Utah and I'll spend the day hiking around.

I see few locals. Lots of Americans visit the Parks, but most don't get out of their cars. I see lots of Europeans out hiking around, hoards of Germans and Japanese; and recently more and more South Asians.

No Chinese. When I talk to my Chinese friends:" What if I had a breakdown, it's too dangerous, America is dangerous, Americans don't like Chinese" .....and so on. They frequently seem to have a horror of the unknown where they might have to use their judgement and a fear of physical risk. And yet look at how they drive!!!!! LOL

A few years ago a US military plane flew to Antarctica in the dead of winter with a volunteer crew because of the risk, for a medical emergency. The comment I got was that," Nobody in China would volunteer to do that."

There was genuine puzzlement why anyone would do such a thing. It's just a different way of thinking and kind of strange when you think of the incredible exploration the Chinese were doing in huge sailing ships hundreds of years before the Europeans.

In regards to not seeing many chinese in the US...
It is extremely difficult for Chinese people to get a visa to leave the country (headed fo rthe US). The Government doesnt like to lose tax payers; so they make it difficult to leave.
Many times in order to get a visa to come to the US you must show a business or income in China (a reason to return).
My good friend married a Chinese gal and even after 4 years of being married and them both living in China.; his wife was denied a visa to come to the US.